Keisha Stewart, a Plantation, Florida tax preparer, has been caught in a massive tax return scam. According to a federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Stewart has been permanently barred from preparing federal tax returns for others.
The court entered a stipulated final judgment of permanent injunction against Stewart on March 20, 2014, after she agreed to the civil injunction order. The Justice Department announced the news today.
The complaint alleged that Stewart had prepared federal income tax returns for customers that inflated income or included fictitious income to qualify her customers to receive or to maximize the earned income tax credit. She also claimed false tax credits, including phony education credits and residential energy credits.
Stewart, a notorious tax return preparer, further falsely claimed head of household status on behalf of customers who did not qualify, and claimed false dependents on behalf of customers, as well as the child and additional child tax credits on their behalf. This scheme has been identified by the IRS as one of the Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2013.
Return preparer fraud is a significant concern for the IRS, and the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers in the past decade. Information about these cases can be found on the Justice Department’s website.
Stewart’s scheme has been put to an end, and she will no longer be able to prepare federal tax returns for others. The people of Florida can now breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that one less tax return preparer is scamming innocent citizens.
Defendant: Keisha Stewart
Criminal Charges: Permanently barred from preparing federal tax returns
City and State: Plantation, Florida
Date: March 20, 2014
Sentence: Permanent injunction
Related Federal Cases
- Benell English, Tax Return Preparer False Filings, Florida 2024 · Florida
- Dianne Mowatt, Tax Return Preparation and Filing Fraud, Florida 2014 · Florida
- Abel Raphael, Tax Fraud, Florida 2023 · Florida
- Dennis G. Sartain, Tax Evasion and Money Laundering, Florida 2008 · Florida
- Peter Zavell, Filing a False Tax Return, South Carolina 2000 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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